THE CITY MILK SUPPLY.

Auckland Star, Volume 55, Issue 22, 26 January 1924, Page 12

THE CITY MILK SUPPLY.

FARMERS TAKE ACTION. NEW ASSOCIATION FORMKD. , A largely-attended mooting of tho Auckland city mill: producers was he.ld in the Ottihuhu Hall liisi nigiit, when Mr. Harold Bull presided. He explained that the object of calling the farmers I together was ti> place (In.- milk indu*- j try on h better fooling, in the pant | siuli a variety of pricea had prevailed, j from "id per gallon up to 11(1, and that was most uusmtisfactory to the producer and to the milk vendor. There Iworc men in Auckland city who wore undercutting one another, and in doing i so the price of n.ilk was so low that j farmers were practically prohibited from > earning a. living. Mr. Bull further: stated that Mr. A. E. Tear, organiser! of the Dairy Farmers' Union, was j anxious to form the Auckland dairymen into an organisation to work in conjunction with the Dairy Farmers' Union, suid tlia whole work of organisation was left in his hand*. Mr. A. K. Fear spoke of the need of organisation, and explained that all other sections of the community were organised and working under an award. It was time that the farmers of the Dominion united with the object, of having a farmers' award for all produce. The great move that Labour had made in Cireat Britain was due, he said, to organisation, and the farmers in New Zealand were faced with disaster because they would not got together and place a value on their produce. Mr. Fear said that lie had a scheme to put, before the tiovernment in -tune to ask for a farmers" award, while lie j also hod liad itn interview with the Mill-j is,ter of Agriculture recently, who asked j him to place the scheme before Dr. ("J. I .1. Reake?. TJirertor-Oeneral of Agriculture. Dr. Ri>akes* said that he would consider favourably the proposition when it -was placed before him. The Dairy Farmers' Union was now a very strong hody, having four provincia.l executives in the. Dominion. The Auckland milk producers would be a part of the above organisation. It was mentioned by the speaker that he had already organised one body of milk producers and they were obtaining 4d per gallon more for their milk under an agreement. If the price of milk in the Auckland district was raised Id per gallon, through the medium of tho new movement, it would mean £12,000 to the Auckland producers, or tii per cow per year, and the hope of the new movement was not to force the price of milk up, but to stabilise a. reasonable price between the producer and the consumer. A scheme was placed before the meeting and was unanimously approved, a large number of those present attaching their names to a petition to place before Parliament. The subscription to the new body, which is to be known an the Dominion City Supply Whole Milk Producers' Association. \ras fixed at £1 10/. A large number of members were enrolled. An executive committee o.omnrising 15 of. the leading milk producers was elected.